Sigh. I keep seeing comments like these whenever such article is posted. But there are 2 problems with that mentality:
1) Just because we the HN readers and Reddit readers, and other people who take an active interest in either being up to date with this sort of stuff, know about this, doesn't mean that population at large either a) knows about it, b) believes it (this sort of stuff sounds too much like conspiracy theories, even if it's real in this case).
2) Just because there were some news about it a few years ago, and there was like a mini-outrage for like a week, and then nothing really happened, doesn't mean we should stop talking about it now, and just let them continue doing it. The point is to keep raising awareness, and incite people to fight for their rights, and demand answers from NSA and the administration. More than that - demand change.
Re to 1): well, this is HN, so you're just preaching to the choir. Why not instead spend the time/effort spreading awareness among the general public? They're the ones that decide elections (and thus policies, or at least I hope).
Re to 2): again, this isn't going to raise awareness. The vast majority of people here already know about this.
When the general public's candidate pool has been narrowed down to two candidates by the media, is the general public really deciding elections anymore? It becomes multiple choice where both options are pro-plutocrat and pro-authoritarian.
1) Just because we the HN readers and Reddit readers, and other people who take an active interest in either being up to date with this sort of stuff, know about this, doesn't mean that population at large either a) knows about it, b) believes it (this sort of stuff sounds too much like conspiracy theories, even if it's real in this case).
2) Just because there were some news about it a few years ago, and there was like a mini-outrage for like a week, and then nothing really happened, doesn't mean we should stop talking about it now, and just let them continue doing it. The point is to keep raising awareness, and incite people to fight for their rights, and demand answers from NSA and the administration. More than that - demand change.